Cigarette-making machinery



. Now-ll, 1930. w. E. MOLINS CIGARETTE MAKING MACHINERY Filed Feb. 10, 1928 VIIIIIII/I/I/II/ I a i Patented Nov. 11, 1930 uairen STATES WALTER EVERETT MOL-INS, OF DEPTFORD, LONDON, ENGLAND CIGARETTE-MAKING MACHINERY Application filed February 10, 1928, Serial No. 253,425, and in Great Britain February 19, 1927.

nis invention is for improvements in or relating to cigarette making machinery and relates more particularly to a tobacco feeding apparatus wherein a feeding roller is located within the base of a hopper and is adapted to feed tobacco to a combing roller which automatically carries the same beneath.

1 ing' that the densityand distribution of the tobacco throughout the rod is'more consistent than is possible when employing the tobacco feeding apparatus at'present used upon such machines. r i

In cigarette making machines of the continuous rod type, the tobacco is placed in a hopper from which it is automatically fed by means ofcarded rollers to the rod forming mechanism of themachine, and it is found in practice that with tobaccos of different consistencies the cigarettes produced are liable to vary between wide limits, due to the fact that some tobacco has a preponderance of long shreds of tobacco, whereas in other tobaccos the presence of short shreds is more marked.

The object of the present invention is to provide means whereby a more or less sub 'stantially constant ratio is maintained throughout-the rod betweenthe short and long shreds of tobacco present in the rod produced by the machine.

The present invention consists of a tobacco feeding apparatus of the type referred to wherein the tobacco is fed to a combing roller by a carded feeding roller soarranged within the 'basejof' a hopper that short shredg of to bacco are permitted to pass between the carding on the feeding roller into a trough from which they are automatically conveyed and smooth feeding roller is replaced by a carded feeding roller or rollers, wherein the cards on the upper surface of the said roller or rollers are directed awayfrom the surface of the combing roller and" the combing roller is. v

rotated faster than the adjacent feeding roller with the adjacent surfaces'of the feeding and combing rollers moving in opposite directions, so that the action of'the said rollers is to separate the shreds of tobacco before the same are fed forwardly by the combing roller. I

It is'found, however,.that by this method of separation, that the, short shreds of to bacco areseparated from the long shreds and that if the feeding and combing rollers were not spaced apart from one another, the short shreds would accumulate between these two rollers, and when the accumulation had attained certain proportions a mass of short shreds of tobacco would be fed forwardly by'the combing roller and the consistency of the cigarettes varied, and these variations would be found torecur periodically during the production of the cigarettes. I H I V The feeding roller and combing roller are separated from one another and the shortshreds of tobacco are permittedto fall between the same down an inclined chute into a trough in which is arranged to rotatea worm feed which moves all the shorts to one end of the said trough. The shorts are thereafter automatically removed from the end of the trough and-carried upwardly and delivered to an auxiliary hopper located above the main hopper which is. adapted to feed the short shreds of tobacco over the sun face of the tobacco in the mainhopper and preferably at a point adjacent to where the combing and brushing rollers meet and along a line parallel-to the axial displacement of the cigarette rod so that an even layer'of short shreds of tobacco iscarried forwardly by the combing roller and delivered to the rod forming mechanism. J

The said apparatus is so co'nstructed th'at the length of the line along which the short shreds are fed varies directly with the quan tity of short shreds fed to the apparatus.

I The auxiliary hopper preferablycomprises a trough having a rotatable worm operable to feed short shreds of tobacco, fed to one end of the trough, along the entire length of the trough so as toenable the sameto fallv in a shower through a discharge opening formed in one side of the trough. The discharge opening is preferably constructed in such a manner-thatasthe worm feeds the to .ba'cco'along thetrough some ofthe tobacco is conveyed up the side of the trough; and is allowed to slide down the same under the force of gravity,'through the discharge open-* ing forinedby two overlapping portions of the side wall of-the' trough. The discharge opening is formed adjustableso asto regulate the thickness ofthe 'showerof tobacco which falls therefrom.

It isfound in practice that if a considerable quantity of short shreds of tobacco is'fed to one end ofthe trough, the worm willfeed.

' the tobacco along-the entire length of'the trough and cause'the tobacco'to fall-in a showerthrough' the discharge opening along theentire length of "the trough. If; how ever, the supplyof short-shreds is diminished,

'the wo'rm will convey the Tsariie along the 1 trough}, but due to the" smaller amount of tobacco present, the same will have" been discharged through the discharge opening in thetrough before theshort shreds havebeen 0011-,

T .vey ed-to the end of the trough. Thus with afwormrotating at-a constant speed; the

length of. the shower of tobacco which falls from the trough-depends upon'the quantity of short shredswhich is fed to thetro'ugh;

The f-eed'end of the trough is-preferably 'ar ranged so that the short shreds "of tobacco are always fed to that side of the hopper where the moving web of cigarette-paper leaves the filling trough of the same.' f

, Q The invention ismore particuIarlyde scribed- Wlth referenceto the accompanying drawings, in which Fig; 1 is an elevation of the back of'a tobacco feeding hopper. I

2 is aside e'levationof Fig. 1 in direc v .131011 of arrow'C.

J Figlis a'section on line Fig.1. Fig. dis a sectionon line B B', Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings,tobacco-is placed in the hopper 1 and carriedby a card ed'feeding roller 2 beneath the combing roller brushing roller-4*bru shesbaek z'any 'ing roller superfluous tobacco fed by the" roller 8 and thus controls the quantity of tobacco which passes, and a picker roller eremoves the tobacco from the cards of thecombing roller 3 and it falls on to'the s'urfaceof a distribute ing roller 6. A pressure roller 7 presses down the layers of tobacco on the distributor roller and-the tobacco is removed from the surface of thecarded distributor by another picker roller 8 and falls down the chute 9 on to the cigarette'paper.

The carded feeding roller 2 and the comb- 3 are spaced apart sufliciently to allowthe short shreds of tobacco to fall downwards into the tray or chute 10. This chute leads into atrough 11 in which a worniconveyor 1'2is.mounted: As theworm rotates the short shreds are-fed along toan inclined.

trough 13 in which another. conveyor 14 rop An adjustable plate 18 is'fitted'to the trough V 15 to enablethe operator toalt'er the effective Width of the slot 17 At thezextremeend of the trough remote from the inclinedconveyor; the slot 17. is widened to permit any tobacco reaching'th'is' end of the trough to falhthus preventing packing; This" isshown at 19,

Fig. 1,- and by the dotted line 20, Fig. 3.

""Thus'it will be seen that accordingto'the present" invention there is provided means whereby the short shreds 1 of tobacco I may be separated "from the long shreds and continuously suppliedjin' aconstant'quantitytothe Y hopper of a cigarette making 'Inaohine,'au1d should the quantity of short shreds of tobacco increase, the length ofthe shower will be automatically increased. r C

-' What I claim as my'invention and desire to secure'by Letters Patent is 1. In apparatus-for feeding tobacco, the

combination with a combing roller, of a carded feeding'roller for feeding tobacco thereto and spaced therefrom to permit short the falling shreds and distributing ,themqunishreds of tobacco to fall, means for-receiving 7 formly o'n' the' combing roller'and over-the tobacco carried thereby. 1

' 211111 fe p' u r' e ng 'tbbaccogjthe combination with a combing r0ller, *of j'a carded ifeedlng roller-for feed1ng; t0bacc0 shreds of tobacco tofall; means for receiving 1 12 5 thereto and spaced therefrom to permit short f thefalling shredsand distributing them-uniforinly' over the tobacco'carried by the comb ing roller, said means comprising a trough disposed below the rollers, a hopper arranged above the rollers and having a discharge open ing therein extending in a direction substantially parallel to the axes of the rollers, and aconveyor for transferring the tobacco from said trough to said hopper.

3. In apparatus for feeding tobacco, the combination with a combing roller, of a carded feeding roller for feeding tobacco thereto and spaced therefrom to permit short shreds of tobacco to fall, means for receiving the falling shreds and distributing them uniformly over the tobacco carried by the combing roller, said means comprising a trough disposed below the rollers, a hopper arranged above the rollers and having a discharge opening therein extending in a direction substantially parallel to the axes of the rollers, said discharge opening being adjustable in width, and a conveyor for transferring the tobacco from said trough to said hopper.

4. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a trough for receiving and distributing tobacco and provided with a discharge opening extending longitudinally thereof, of a screw conveyor arranged longitudinally of and within said trough for feeding tobacco along said trough and through said opening, and means for regulating the width of said discharge opening to ensure uniform distribution of tobacco through substantially the entire length of said opening.

5. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a trough for receiving and distributing tobacco and provided with a discharge opening extending longitudinallythereof, of a screw conveyor arranged longitudinally of and within said trough for feeding tobacco along said trough and through said opening, and means for regulating the width of said discharge opening to ensure uniform distribution of tobacco through substantially the entire length of said opening, said means comprisinga movable plate extending lengthwise of said opening. I

6. In apparatus of the class described, the combination with a trough for receiving and distributing tobacco and provided with a discharge opening extending longitudinally thereof, of a screw conveyor arranged longitudinally of and within said trough for feeding tobacco along said trough and through said opening, and means for regulating the width of said discharge opening to ensure uniform distribution of tobacco through substantially the entire length of said opening, said means comprising 'a swinging plate arranged outside of said hopper, and means for the long shreds carried by said roller in uni form quantity along substantially the entire length of the roller.

8. In apparatus for feeding tobacco, the combination with a combing roller adapted to receive and transfer long shreds of tobacco only, of a carded roller for delivering tobacco to said combing roller, and means for conveying short shreds of tobacco from said card'- ed roller and depositing the same uniformly on the combing roller and over the long shreds carried thereby.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WALTER EVERETT MOLINS.

securing said plate in different'positions of adjustment toward or away from said opening.

7 In apparatus, for feeding tobacco, the

combination with a combing roller adapted i to receive long shreds oftobacco, ofmeans for distributing short shreds of tobacco on 

